Gillard’s Coup

Julia Gillard and the Labor Government have just delivered a coup to end the political year on an even higher plateau than described below. By recruiting Peter Slipper as the new Speaker, they’ve shored themselves up in Parliament. They’ve sent a message to media and business that they will see out a full term: we are here, get used to us. The opposition will not achieve a transfer of power in this parliament. And today’s announcement ensures continuing media attention on Tony Abbott and the absence of a coalition economic program.

Julia Gillard ends the year with a burst of euphoria.

The barbecue commentary over the holidays will shift. “She’s a tough operator” and “She’s a survivor” are likely to echo one another. And “She outsmarted Abbott” – expect to hear a bit of that. In media and business she will bask in a new respect.

Success feeds success.

In the New Year the nagging, neuralgic issue of poker machines will be subjected to a compromise and the anxiety of backbench Labor members, especially in NSW, will dissipate.

Discipline in the government will tighten.

Look at the poll figures. The electorate has deep reservations about Tony Abbott. Any election will be determined in the context of a contest between two sides and an appraisal of the opposition alternative. It will be more than a vote of disaffection with the current government. It will be a vote that, sure, assesses the government but assesses the alternative as well.

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Well that’s one, unsurprising view Bob. Another view is that Gillard is so rattled and desperate to cling onto the tenuous power that she holds, both inside and outside the party that she will sell her soul to the likes of Slipper. Smacks of desperation in my view

I believe that this scenario plays out worse for Abbott than anyone else.

Abbott is finished.

Listening to his presser this morning, he sounds increasingly desperate and worried.

His failures are mounting and it is only a matter of time before his colleagues knife him, just as they did Turnbull and Nelson before him.

He failed to submit election policy costings under their own Charter of Budget Honesty and blatantly lied about the reasons why; failed to win a winnable election; failed to negotiate power with the Independents AND pissed them off in the process; failed to honour the Parliamentary Reform deal he signed; failed to stop the Carbon Tax and in the process left himself and his party exposed as a policy free zone; and has failed to stop the Mining Tax passing the HoR.

Add to this a $91 billion black hole made up of an $11 billion black hole from his election costings, a $70 billion budget black hole AND a $10 billion Direct Action black hole, together with internal rumblings showing discontent with him not consulting wider with his parliamentary colleagues on policy decisions, it is very clear that his position as Leader has become untenable.

The polls already show his preferred PM rating falling despite the party being ahead. Come election time, Abbott would only drive voters away from the Coalition. They’re certainly not going to vote for the party if they can’t stand the leader!

Abbott will become the biggest loser from this. He is leading his party nowhere, and once they wake up, his days as Leader will be at an end.

Hmmm. Good luck to Ms Gillard. However, offering inducements – higher status and higher pay – to politicians effectively to switch sides reminds me of practices in certain south-east Asian countries. In those countries it is accepted but, even so, it is recognised as corruption.

Up to today, I have never been an admirer of the Prim Minister, even though I do acknowledge an impressive body legislative work. But today, I have to hand it to Julia, she has finally won me over as someone to go into bat for. Go, go, Gillard…

Up to today, I have never been an admirer of the Prime Minister, even though I do acknowledge her impressive body of legislative work. But today, I have to hand it to Julia, she has finally won me over as someone to go into bat for. Go, go, Gillard…

Abbott would have jumped at a deal like this so I agree with Bob Carr on this one. In order to get re elected in 2013 they need to be stable so again Bob was correct , business needs certainty. The ETS is here to stay so people can now plan for it.

Yes, look at the the poll figures – Coalition 57-43 at last count. I can’t remember the commentariat ever being so disconnected from the public. You honestly think that these Speaker shenanigans will play well in voterland?

If I may add, this new Speaker arrangement changes things dramatically (and I wonder how long it has been on the cards, given Ms Gillard has strengthened her agenda very recently), because Mr Abbott’s entire strategy was based on pushing the Government over the edge by sheer impact of his negative focus. Surely now Ms Gillard can start to solidify the public discourse in terms of policy, not just politicking, and lay down the gauntlet for Mr Abbott to show his true colours as an alternative in the same way. Even if she doesn’t or can’t, pulled back from the edge, the stronger Government now by its very existence must surely raise public discourse – Mr Abbott will have to change his game, and lift it, no doubt.

I disagree with Paul J, I don’t think she will go down in history as a great Labor leader. I think she has done a good job with what she has had to deal with but Bob Brown will come out of the parliamentary term with more cudos as a leader, unfortunately. I believe that until Labor stops changing policies every time a poll shows that it is unpopular we will not have another great Labor leader. Flip flopping and pandering are not traits of a great leader

Bob, it’s brilliant in it’s execution. Was something in the air, why all the publicity during the week about Slipper being under pressure re pre-selection from Mal Brough. The thing that Abbott didn’t see coming was that Jenkins was prepared to give up the Speakership and his reason given is interesting too..to do with the poker machine legislation.

Now who has threatened to bring the government down? Wilkie of course and if the government couldn’t deliver absolutely on his demands, which again of course was unreasonable as any threat of Fieldings. Just a coincidence, well maybe…

Great move by our Prime Minister. I’m smiling like a cheshire cat to see Tony Abbott spitting chips.
Wasn’t surprised to see from day one when Peter Slipper took the Speaker’s Chair that the radio shock jock Liberal Party apologists were predictably going into attack Peter Slipper mode. I smiled again and switched within a minute across to ABC radio and back to 2CH for the nice and easy music.

As a Labor supporter and voter, I am looking forward to a secured full term by our ALP Government.

I think the bit I enjoyed most is the hate media commentators going completely hysterical. The whole episode demonstrated yet again that they do not have a clue what is going on, their only role is to run an ongoing campaign against progressive politics of every sort. Equally enjoyable is the teeth gnashing of sad fantasists who think they can somehow whine this government out of existence with endless sniveling blog comments as above.

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Book review – Wilson by A. Scott Berg

The entrenched view of Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States from 1913-1921, is that he was a prophet who wanted to make the world safe for democracy, his vision repudiated by a war-weary American people.
I have a different view. I believe Woodrow Wilson was incontestably the worst president in US history. The worst, because the damage he did outweighs that of any other. This includes George W. Bush, who in response to September 11 started wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Click here to read my review of A. Scott Berg's Wilson (2013).

Mabo (2012)

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